Masked Friends and Heart Games
by OddFeather
Summary: A masquerade is going on and Avatar Korra has to attend to it. What troubles will await her when her crush notices her, but he doesn't know it's her?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey hey! Another story from me! Okay, this is something that is kind of related to Halloween. For the record I absolutely _love _Halloween.I really hope you all enjoy!**

**I do not own the Legend of Korra.**

* * *

Korra walked down the hall in displeasure.

_I hate this dress, I hate the glitter, I hate the girlyness, I hate the- _she kept saying in her head, not wanting to complain out loud (she already had done that enough to the point where her throat was hurting).

She stopped then leaned on a wall that was on her left, and looked down at the dress and scowled. She started murmuring under her breath about how much she hated it, and stood straight and began to walk down the hall again.

There was a masquerade that Korra was invited to, and as the Avatar, she didn't really have a say in whether she wanted to go or not. So she was stuck with going.

And Pema got one of the most girly dresses Korra had ever seen. It was a blue one with long sleeves and the skirt touched the floor. It had more designs than Korra would have like. There was also a light pair of gloves that Korra wore; a mask, and she also had to wear her hair down. But those weren't the worst parts of the outfit- the worst parts were the _heels _and the _make-up. _The make-up was really unnecessary, considering she had a mask on; and she kept stumbling in the heels. Everything that she wore was blue.

She opened the door to the ballroom and found many people dancing and lights flashing.

Korra entered with an uneasy feeling, watching everyone dance and people talking.

Korra scanned the room for a place to hang out until the masquerade was over. She managed to find a place near the table with snacks on it. She quickly walked to the table and watched as couples danced around her.

She looked at her dress again and scowled yet again. _I hate this dress, I hate this make-up, I hate these heels, I hate these-_

"Looks like somebody is having a terrible time." Said a voice from Korra's left.

Korra turned to face a guy in a green mask. Luckily, there was a few things that she recognized, like his voice, that helped her figure out it was Bolin. Otherwise, she wouldn't have recognized him.

"I am having the worst time. I was meant to stop criminals from doing crimes and put them in jail; not for dressing up for dances and talking with people I don't even know." Korra said.

"Well, as the Avatar, wouldn't you have to do that a lot?" Bolin asked.

"Probably. Although, I haven't really gone to any yet because I haven't really done anything." Korra said. "So, how did you get invited here?"

"Asami invited Mako and I." Bolin said.

"Oh. Where are they?"

"They're dancing over there." He said, pointing to the couple.

Korra saw them. She sighed at the sight.

_If only that were me in Asami's place. _She thought. Of course, she knew it would never happen. But that couldn't stop her from getting jealous.

"You okay?" Bolin asked as Korra's eyes narrowed.

She looked at Bolin. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Bolin smirked. "Somebody's jealous."

"Whatever."

"Well, I'm going to go ask somebody to dance. I'll see you later!" Bolin said cheerfully, and he wandered off. But he stopped for a moment, then said "One more thing: you do realize that you're the talk of the dance right now, right?"

Korra's eyes widened and she meant to say something else, but Bolin walked away with a mischievous smile before she could say anything else.

Korra crossed her arms over her chest and blew a strand of hair out of her face. _Great, _she thought sarcastically. _Now I have to find out what he was talking about on my own. _

Over the next half an hour, many guys tried to ask Korra to dance, but she declined every one. It wasn't only because she didn't know how to dance, but it also was because she would have wanted to dance with only one person. And that one person had a girlfriend, so she wasn't going to be dancing with anyone.

"Hello again." came Bolin's voice.

He came up next to her.

"Hey, Bolin." She said, blowing some strands away from her eyes. "I thought you were dancing with that girl who looked like she was Fire Nation."

"Yeah…turns out she had a boyfriend. I only found out _after _a half an hour of dancing with her….let's just say her boyfriend was _not happy._" Bolin said.

Korra laughed. "She must really like you if she was dancing with you for that long knowing she had a boyfriend."

"Yeah, she does, doesn't she?"

"Good luck trying to dance with her again, though." Korra said, pointing at the Fire Nation girl who was dancing with a guy who appeared to be Fire Nation as well.

"A guy can try, can't he?" he said as he walked back over to the girl.

Korra smiled before searching the crowd for Mako and Asami, and she was just about to give up when her eyes met amber ones. He was staring at her, Asami not seeming to notice.

Korra looked down immediately, a blush creeping onto her face. She averted her eyes to the smooth, reflecting floor.

_Please look away. Please look away. Please look away. _she silently pleaded as she looked anywhere but at him.

Finally, she looked back at him. He was now looking at some other things now, but she saw his eyes keep darting back to her.

_Oh, great. Another thing to make my night difficult. _She thought. Then she saw his eyes look at her for a long time before turning back to Asami.

_This is going to be a long night._

* * *

**I really like how this turned out! I just hope that you all enjoy it! I got this idea a long time ago, I just wasn't sure about how I would start it. But I got it! Please review and tell me what you think! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi hi! And yay! I got the next chapter up! Well, I have to finish it before the end of the month, so yeah...**

**I do not own the Legend of Korra.**

* * *

Korra started to wander around the ballroom, still declining anyone who asked her to dance. She felt as if she was being stared at, and her stomach began churning. And it didn't help that she caught Mako glancing at her every once in a while.

She took a deep breath as she poured herself a glass of water.

_Keep it together. _Korra thought. _It will be over soon. And when it _is _over, it will go back to normal and he will never do the same thing he is doing tonight. He won't even know it was me._

And again, she caught him staring at her. She immediately averted her eyes from his and sipped some of the water, though her throat still felt dry.

Korra jumped when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned her head to see Bolin holding his hands up defensively_. _

"Hey! Calm down!" he said. "It's just me!"

"Sorry," Korra said. "It's just I feel a bit nervous right now."

Bolin looked over her shoulder. "Oh. Is it because my brother keeps glancing at you?"

"That's one the reasons." Korra said. "I'm glad it's not just me who sees it."

"Go ask him to dance!"

"What? No!"

"Oh, come on, Korra, you know you want to!"

"No I don't! I don't even know how to dance!"

"So what? It's not that difficult. He can show you pretty easily."

"I will not ask him to dance! Besides, he's with Asami, anyways."

"Well, then, I guess it's up to me to make him ask you then." Bolin said before starting to walk off. He smiled mischievously. He had a plan that was sure to work.

Korra's eyes widened and she chased after him. _"Don't you dare, _Bolin!" Korra half yelled. It would have been a full yell, if it weren't for the people surrounding her.

"What's going to stop me?" Bolin said, not turning to face her, and kept walking towards his brother. He smiled, as his plan was working. And one thing that was going to make it easier: Asami wasn't anywhere near Mako.

"Bolin, I swear, if you do this, I will kill you!" Korra warned, but Bolin ignored her.

"No, you will thank me." he said.

"Bolin-" Korra tried to yell, but Bolin suddenly broke into a run and left Korra behind.

Korra stood there, knowing she couldn't go after him because of the heels she was wearing. Instead, she thought of reasons why he started running at this spot. And a voice that she knew so well answered her question.

"Umm….hi." the voice said.

Korra turned and came face to face with Mako, and her eyes widened and her face turned red.

"H-hi….." Korra stammered. She then began thinking of different ways to kill Bolin; and she stared at the red mask that Mako had on, averting her eyes from his.

They stood in an awkward silence, and Korra was about to walk away when Mako spoke up again.

"Would you like to….uh….dance?" he asked, sounding a little uncertain. Although, there were plenty of reasons why he would be uncertain- he knew she had been declining anyone who asked her to dance, he was worried about Asami, he didn't know that it was Korra, or he did know it was Korra, and plenty of others, too. Korra just wasn't sure about what reason it is.

"Umm….sure, I guess." Korra said, though she instantly regretted saying it.

Why_ did I say _yes? Korra thought. Why_ in the _world_ did I say _yes_?!_

Korra's heart beat sped up when Mako took her hand and lead her to the middle of the room where all of the dancing was happening, and placed his hands on her waist. Korra's face got redder, and placed her hands around his neck.

She had never danced before, but she managed to figure out to follow his lead.

"So, uh….where are you from?" Mako asked.

Korra inwardly sighed in relief. _He doesn't know._

"I'm from the Southern Water Tribe." Korra said quietly.

Mako nodded, and it was then that Korra realized that he was staring into her eyes. She continued to avoid eye contact with him.

"So….what's your name?"

Korra felt panic rise in her, but kept her expression calm, even if she couldn't stop her blushing. "K-Kya." she lied.

_Did I really just use the name of Aang's daughter? _Korra thought, annoyed.

"Well….it's nice to meet you."

Korra nodded, and took a deep breath. _Oh spirits! _she thought._ I need to get out of here! I don't need him to get too attached-_

Korra stopped. She bit her lip and shut her eyes tightly. _He doesn't like me. He's interested in Asami. He will never _ever _like me the way he likes her._

"Is something wrong?" Mako asked with concern.

Korra opened her eyes again. "No, nothing's wrong."

Mako nodded, but he still had a concerned expression; and it wasn't hard for Korra to tell, even though he had a mask on.

"Really, I'm fine." Korra insisted, but she wasn't. Her already-churning stomach had become worse, and she had an awful feeling that replaced her uncomfortable feeling.

"Alright." Mako said, although he was still unsure.

And he felt concern for her, even though he knew she was trying to hide herself.

* * *

**Oooh this was fun to write! Please review and tell me what you think! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi hi! I am so happy I got to finish and, let's see, what am I forgetting? Oh yeah. HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Okay, if you looked at the last line of the last chapter, I was faintly trying to hint that Mako knew it was Korra. I just thought I should say that so there isn't any confusion, because I don't think I hinted it very well, which was half of my intentions.**

**I do not own the Legend of Korra.**

* * *

Korra bit her lip and kept hoping that Mako wouldn't suddenly recognize her, wouldn't know it was her, so he wouldn't be angry with her or anything like that. As for Mako, he kept on wanting to tell her that he knew it was her, to tell her how he felt, but something was holding him back. He scanned the room as if the answer was there, but he knew he wouldn't find anything.

They were still dancing in the crowd of people, which only made Korra more nervous. She accidentally stumbled, and Mako notice and stopped scanning the room and looked at her.

"Having some trouble dancing?" he asked.

"Well, that; and I'm wearing heels that I absolutely _hate _and I'm not used to dancing in a crowd." Korra said, getting back into the dancing position she was previously in, but she glared at the shoes.

_Yep, _Mako thought. _That is _definitely _Korra. _He smiled warmly.

"Do you think we could take a break?" Korra asked. "I'm getting a little uncomfortable with all these people around."

"Sure." Mako replied.

Korra quickly moved her arms back to her sides and walked to a nearby bench, followed by Mako. He sat down next her and stared at her, slightly amused. Korra noticed this, and averted her eyes to the ceiling. But after a few minutes had passed, she looked at him, and said "What?"

"Nothing." Mako said, and he looked at the crowd instead. Then he found the reason why he wasn't saying anything to Korra: Asami.

Asami was looking in the crowd, probably looking for him. Mako looked at Korra before standing up. He looked back into her eyes, and he felt his heart speed up like it does every time he looks at her eyes.

"I'll be right back. There is…something I need to deal with." he said, and he walked towards Asami.

Korra took the opportunity to dart to the door and leave, not standing it any more. She couldn't help but try to hide somewhere where, if Mako did try to find her, couldn't see her.

_I am not going back in there. _she thought as she tried to calm herself.

Korra began think about how the whole night has gone for her, and she realized for most of the time she had been think about how Mako would have seen her or how he would recognize her or anything like that.

_How does he do this to me? _Korra thought. _Even though I know that he'll never be interested in me like he is with Asami…..I still can't help but like him more and more each day. _

Korra shut her eyes tightly and bit her lip, trying to fight off her urge to cry. She stood up and ran into the city, and sat down in the Republic City Park, and finally she gave into her urge and let herself cry, bringing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them and resting her head in between her knees.

Mako searched for Korra for a long time after he went to talk to Asami.

_Where did she go? Why did she leave? _Mako kept thinking. He walked outside and searched for Korra, but didn't find anything.

Finally, after another half an hour of searching, he realized that she must have left. He knew she wouldn't have gone back to the island, since Tenzin was still at the dance, so he figured that she must be close by.

_Where is place that is close enough for her to walk to… _Mako thought as he walked down the street. His eyes landed on the bridge in the distance. _The park!_

He began picking up speed until he found himself running to the park and scanning for any sign of Korra. He froze when he saw her under a tree, curled up and crying. Before he realized what he was doing, he ran over to Korra, sat down next to her, and wrapped his arms around her.

Korra stopped crying for a moment, and her heart beat sped up- she'd know the gentle touch anywhere. She lifted her head slowly, and then she was face to face with Mako. She bit her lip, and the only thing keeping her away from wiping her tears away was the mask, as she was in fear of him seeing her face.

"What's wrong?" Mako asked softly.

Korra tried to push Mako away, but even though he was only gently holding her, he had a strong grip. She eventually gave up and rested her head back on her knees.

"_What's wrong?" _Mako asked again, but a little more firmly. When it was clear that Korra wasn't going to say anything else, he sighed. He used one of his hands to remove his mask, and then he lifted Korra's head and tried to remove her mask, too.

But Korra immediately but moved her hands to each side of the mask, trying to keep it on. Mako now understood that Korra still didn't realize that he knew it was her. He tried again, and he wasn't successful that time, either.

Mako sighed. "I already know it's you, Korra."

Korra's eyes widened and her grip on the mask lessened. Mako took the opportunity to take the mask off, and he quickly tossed it far enough away so it was out of Korra's reach.

"Why did you pretend to be someone else?" Mako asked.

Korra sighed. "Are you really going to make me explain?" she asked.

"Well, considering you ran here and I found you crying, yes."

Korra clenched the skirt of her dress and bit her lip. Mako stared at her, waiting for an explanation. When it was clear that she wasn't ready to talk, Mako took Korra's hands in his.

"Korra," he said slowly. "I want to know what's bothering you. _Please_, tell me."

"I don't really know how to explain…" Korra said, slightly uneasy that Mako was holding her hands.

"Can you try?" Mako asked.

"I…" Korra began. "I…I've been thinking for a while. A long while. I just have this odd feeling…"

Mako stared at Korra and leaned in a little to catch all of her words.

Korra shut her eyes. "Do you remember the kiss outside the arena?" Korra asked.

"Yeah….." Mako said, and his memory replayed of that one moment they shared.

"At that moment, you told me that you liked me. But…..that you liked Asami, too."

Mako then knew why Korra had pretended to be someone else.

"You thought I liked Asami more then you." Mako stated.

"Not thought, think." Korra said. Mako was alarmed. "I-"

"Korra, how can you think that? I never- I- I never meant to make you think that!" Mako said. "I'm in-"

Korra tried to yank her hands back from Mako's grasp. She managed to pull her hands out of his grasp, and Mako fell silent. He leaned in closer to Korra, though; _very_ close.

"Korra, I do like you. Will you give me a chance to explain what I was intending on doing tonight?" Mako asked.

Korra nodded. She bit her lip yet again.

"Look….." Mako began. "I had made a decision a couple of days ago- and I was going to tell you at the dance. I got kind of nervous; because I wasn't expecting you, of all people, to where heels and even make up." He said with a small smile. "You looked so different tonight, and I got so speechless I didn't come over to you. Throughout the night I have been trying to urge myself to go talk to you, and thanks to Bolin, I was able to finally talk to you. And what-"

"I thought you were going to tell me what you were intending to do." Korra said. She was losing her patience; but it wasn't the first time she has, though.

"I was just going to say what it was." Mako said. "See- I stayed up one night. I couldn't sleep- something was going on in my head- and then I was thinking about you and Asami."

Korra leaned a little closer, her eyes widening.

"I actually realized something. I can't really explain it, but I can show you….."

Korra stared at Mako with a confused expression. "Okay…what are you think-?"

"_Just_, close your eyes." Mako said.

Korra sighed, and then did as he asked and shut her eyes. She was uneasy and slightly shifted in place, still keeping her eyes closed. It was when she felt lips pressing against hers that her eyes shot wide opened.

Mako was _kissing _her.

Korra slowly closed her eyes. She was now _very_ alert. She didn't really know what to do, other than to kiss back. She wasn't sure if she should have pulled away, but it really didn't matter. She forgot that thought within seconds, though.

Mako was the first to pull away, smiling. He stared at the dazed Korra before saying "I was going to confess how I actually feel tonight, but like I said, I was speechless. I thought it was going to be easy, but apparently it wasn't."

Korra just stared at him in shock. _He….he chose…me…? _she thought.

"So…..now you know." Mako said. He waited for Korra to react, but she just continued to stare. "Why are you so surprised?"

"Well, it just seemed like you were interested in Asami more than me." Korra said.

"Well, it appears you were wrong." Mako said. He thought for a moment, smiled wider, and stood up and reached out to Korra. "Come on, we can have more fun at the dance."

Korra watched Mako for a moment before finally taking his hand, and he helped her up. He leaned down to pick up both of their masks, and he handed Korra her mask.

"Thanks." she murmured.

"You're welcome." Mako replied.

Mako took Korra's hand and began to lead her back to the dance. Now that that was over with, Korra felt…better. And when they both came into the room, she didn't feel as if she were standing out anymore, even if people started to stare at them when they entered hand in hand (mainly guys who had already tried to ask Korra to dance, and had started glaring at Mako).

Mako and Korra had out their masks on before going in, and when they did go in, they went to go dance. It was a slow dance, like before.

When everybody's attention focused on anything but them, Korra whispered "What about Asami?"

"I kind of broke up with her before the dance." Mako confessed. "When I went to go talk to her, it was to ask for advice on something. Nothing important. And I was with her for some time during the dance because we were secretly trying to look for you."

"You were dancing with her." Korra pointed out.

"Like I said: we were secretly searching for you."

Korra nodded, although she was still thinking something else.

Mako stared at her. "You should take off the mask." he said.

"What? It's a masquerade; we have to keep them on." Korra said.

"Yeah, until midnight." Mako said.

"What are you talking about?"

"The masquerade ends at midnight, and that's when everyone takes their masks off. Kind of like revealing yourself."

"I haven't heard that before."

"But isn't this your first masquerade dance?"

"True."

"They'll probably announce it, just wait."

And then they did announce it. Someone got on the stage and announced that midnight was a minute away, and that everyone should get ready to take their masks off. A minute later, the clock sounded, and everyone took (sometimes threw) their masks off. Mako removed his, and Korra took hers off after.

"Looks like you were right." Korra said.

"Yeah… Well, that's the end of the dance….." Mako said as he looked around, but the tone of his voice made it seem like he was hinting something to Korra.

Korra smiled, and leaned up and kissed Mako. Mako had kissed her back, obviously.

They both forgot about anything and everything except for each other. It was the first time Korra wasn't focused on hating the dress or any other part of her outfit.

* * *

**What a happy ending! Haha, yeah, that's the end. I had a fun time writing it. Well, please review!**


End file.
